JP5629154B2 - Thin film transistor manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus.

Since the flat panel display device has characteristics such as light weight and thin thickness, a cathode-ray tube display device (Cathode-ray) is used.
It is used as a display device that is substituted for a tube display device). A typical example of such a flat panel display is a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal).
Display device (LCD) and organic light emitting display (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
display device (OLED) is known. In particular, since the organic light emitting display device has superior luminance characteristics and viewing angle characteristics as compared with a liquid crystal display device, it does not require a backlight, and has an advantage that an ultra-thin shape can be realized.

  In such an organic electroluminescent display device, electrons and holes injected from a cathode and an anode are recombined in an organic thin film to form excitons, which are specified by energy from the excitons. This is a display device using a phenomenon in which light of a wavelength is generated.

The organic light emitting display device has a passive drive method and an active drive method depending on a driving method.
(matrix) method. The active driving organic light emitting display includes two thin film transistors (Thin) for driving an organic light emitting diode including the organic thin film.
A film transistor (TFT) is formed. That is, a driving transistor for applying a driving current to the organic light emitting diode and a switching transistor for transmitting a data signal to the driving transistor to determine on / off of the driving transistor are formed. However, since these two transistors are formed, the active driving type organic light emitting display device has a disadvantage that it is more complicated to manufacture than the passive driving type organic light emitting display device.

  However, the organic electroluminescent display device of the passive driving method is limited to low resolution and small display application fields due to problems such as an increase in resolution, a driving voltage, and a decrease in material life. On the other hand, the active driving organic light emitting display device can exhibit stable luminance by a predetermined current supplied using a switching transistor and a driving transistor located in each pixel of the display region. Since it consumes less power, it has the advantage of being able to realize high resolution and large displays.

In general, thin film transistors such as the switching transistor and the driving transistor are located on one side of the semiconductor layer, the gate electrode for controlling the current flow through the semiconductor layer, and both ends of the semiconductor layer. A source electrode and a drain electrode are connected to move a predetermined current through the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer may be formed of polycrystalline silicon (poly-si) or amorphous silicon (amorphous).
silicon; a-si), but since the electron mobility of polycrystalline silicon is higher than that of amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon is mainly used at present.

Here, the method for forming the semiconductor layer made of polycrystalline silicon includes forming an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate, solid phase crystallization (SPC), rapid thermal annealing (Rapid Thermal Annealing): RTA), metal-induced crystallization method (Metal
Induced Crystallization (MIC), Metal-Induced Lateral Crystallization (Metal Induced Lateral)
Crystallization: MILC), excimer laser annealing (ELA) crystallization method, and sequential lateral solidification (SLS) crystallization method are mainly used. Used for.

Korean Application Publication No. 2005-73076 Specification

  Here, the manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the thin film transistor as described above improves the normal process efficiency, and the gate electrode, the amorphous silicon, the source / drain electrode, etc. are brought into contact with external air to cause corrosion or change in characteristics. In order to prevent this, each step is performed using a multi-chamber composed of a plurality of process chambers. In such a thin film transistor including a plurality of multi-chambers, after depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate, the substrate on which the amorphous silicon is formed is transferred to a separate multi-chamber or process chamber, and the amorphous silicon is transferred to the thin film transistor. Crystallized into polycrystalline silicon, and the substrate on which the polycrystalline silicon is formed is transferred again to form an insulating film and an electrode. For this reason, there has been a problem that there is a limitation in shortening the process time due to deviation of characteristics due to continuous environmental changes and deformation due to substrate transfer.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve a method for crystallizing amorphous silicon deposited on a substrate and to increase the number of process chambers as a whole. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus capable of reducing the above.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, a first multi-chamber for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate, a second multi-chamber for forming an electrode on the substrate, and the first And a loading / unloading chamber positioned between the multi-chamber and the second multi-chamber, wherein the loading / unloading chamber includes a substrate holder and a power supply voltage application unit. Provided.

  The substrate holder may include a substrate support on which the substrate is placed, a holder transfer unit that raises or lowers the substrate support, and a holder drive unit that controls the holder transfer unit.

  The substrate support may further include fixing means for fixing the substrate.

  The fixing means may be one or a plurality of vacuum holes connected to a vacuum pump.

  In addition, it may further include alignment means that is positioned on a side surface of the substrate support and aligns the substrates.

  The substrate support may further include one or more sensors for detecting the size of the substrate.

  The power supply voltage application unit may include a first electrode, a second electrode, and a power supply voltage source that applies power supply voltages having different polarities to the first electrode and the second electrode.

  The power supply voltage application unit may further include a control unit that adjusts a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

  The power supply voltage application unit includes a first electrode transfer unit that moves the first electrode, a second electrode transfer unit that moves the second electrode, the first electrode transfer unit, and the second electrode transfer unit. A movement guide provided with the movement path may be further included.

  The movement guide includes a first movement guide provided with a movement path of the first electrode transfer section and a second movement guide provided with a movement path of the second electrode transfer section, and the first movement guide. And the second movement guide may be separated from each other by a predetermined distance.

  The first movement guide and the second movement guide include a guide hole formed in a longitudinal direction of the movement guide, and the first electrode transfer unit and the second electrode transfer unit correspond to the guide home. Protrusions formed to do so may be included.

  The second multi-chamber may include a process chamber for performing a sputtering process.

  The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus may further include a gate valve positioned between the first multi-chamber and the loading / unloading chamber and between the loading / unloading chamber and the second multi-chamber.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the method for crystallizing amorphous silicon deposited on a substrate can be improved and the number of process chambers can be reduced.

It is a schematic diagram which shows a part of thin-film transistor manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line I-I ′ in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a loading / unloading chamber positioned between a first multi-chamber and a second multi-chamber of the thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing by the cutting line A-A 'of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along section line B-B ′ of FIG. 2A.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be embodied in other forms. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed below are provided to complete the disclosure of the invention and to fully convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. For convenience of explanation, the thickness of layers and regions is exaggerated in the drawings, and the illustrated form may be different from the actual one. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

  In the present embodiment, a loading / unloading chamber located between a first multi-chamber for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate and a second multi-chamber for forming an electrode on the substrate is formed in a crystal that is not in a vacuum state. By using it as an apparatus, the number of process chambers as a whole is reduced.

  In Patent Document 1, the amorphous silicon thin film is crystallized into a polycrystalline silicon thin film by using high heat generated by Joule heating generated by applying a predetermined power supply voltage to the amorphous silicon thin film. There is disclosed a crystallization method capable of performing the crystallization step even if not.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a loading / unloading chamber positioned between a first multi-chamber for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate and a second multi-chamber for forming an electrode on the substrate. The crystallization process by the Joule heating is performed, and the total number of process chambers is reduced.

<Embodiment>
FIG. 1A is a schematic view showing a part of a thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line II ′ of FIG. 1A.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first multi-chamber 100 including a plurality of first process chambers 110 and a second multi-chamber including a plurality of second process chambers 210. And a loading / unloading chamber 300 positioned between the first multi-chamber 100 and the second multi-chamber 200.

  The first multi-chamber 100 is for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate (not shown), and is used for loading / unloading the plurality of first process chambers 110 and the substrate into / from the plurality of first process chambers 110. A first transfer chamber 120 in which the first robot arm 125 is located is included. Here, the plurality of first process chambers 110 includes a shower head 112 in which a support chuck 111 that supports a substrate for depositing amorphous silicon on the substrate and a plurality of spray nozzles 113 that spray a deposition material are formed. And performing an amorphous silicon deposition process.

  The second multi-chamber 200 forms electrodes on a substrate, and a plurality of second process chambers 210 and a second robot arm 225 for loading / unloading the substrates into / from the plurality of second process chambers 210 are positioned. A second transfer chamber 220 is included. Here, the plurality of second process chambers 210 include a target 211, a target holder 212 including a first electrode 212a connected to a voltage source 230, a support base 220 including a second electrode 221 connected to a reference voltage, and a target. An electrode layer is formed through a sputtering process including the magnet assembly 240 located on the back surface of the holder 212.

  Here, the first process chamber 110 and the second process chamber 210 perform processes between the first transfer chamber 120 and the first process chamber 110 and between the second transfer chamber 220 and the second process chamber 210. In order to be able to maintain a vacuum state therebetween, carry-in / out ports 410 and 440 including gate valves (not shown) are located.

  The loading / unloading chamber 300 crystallizes amorphous silicon deposited on the substrate unloaded from the first multi-chamber 100 into polycrystalline silicon, and then converts the substrate on which polycrystalline silicon is formed into the second multi-chamber. It is carried into the chamber 200. In the loading / unloading chamber 300, the substrate holder 310 is located on the lower side of the interior, and the power supply voltage application unit 320 including the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322 having different polarities is located on the upper side of the interior.

  Here, a vacuum state may be maintained between the first multi-chamber 100 and the second multi-chamber 200 and the loading / unloading chamber 300 while the first multi-chamber 100 and the second multi-chamber 200 perform a process. In addition, loading / unloading ports 420 and 430 including gate valves are located.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a loading / unloading chamber 300 positioned between the first multi-chamber 100 and the second multi-chamber 200 of the thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along section line A-A ′ of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ′ of FIG. 2A.

  2A to 2C, the loading / unloading chamber 300 of the thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. The substrate holder 310 located on the lower side of the loading / unloading chamber 300 supports the substrate loaded inside the loading / unloading chamber 300, and the power supply voltage application unit 320 applies the power supply voltage to the position. The substrate is moved to perform a crystallization process of amorphous silicon deposited on the substrate. The substrate holder 310 includes a substrate support 311 on which a substrate is placed, a holder transfer unit 312 for raising or lowering the substrate support 311, and a holder driving unit 313 for controlling the holder transfer unit 312.

  The substrate support 311 includes fixing means for fixing the placed substrate. For example, as the fixing means, one or a plurality of vacuum holes 311a may be formed so that the air between the substrate and the substrate support 311 is discharged and the substrate is in close contact with the substrate support 311. The one or more vacuum holes 311a are connected to the vacuum pump 340 by a vacuum pipe 345, and the air existing between the substrate and the substrate support 311 is forcibly exhausted through the one or more vacuum holes 311a. As a result, the substrate can be tightly fixed to the substrate support 311.

  The substrate support 311 includes alignment means 311b for aligning the substrates and a plurality of sensors 311c for detecting the size of the substrate. The alignment means 311 b can be a means that is located on the side surface of the substrate support table 311 and pushes the substrate protruding from the substrate support table 311 into the substrate support table 311.

  The power supply voltage application unit 320 applies a predetermined power supply voltage to the conductive thin film of the substrate, and crystallizes amorphous silicon formed on the substrate. The power supply voltage application unit 320 includes a first electrode 321, a second electrode 322, and a power supply voltage source 330 for applying power supply voltages having different polarities to the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322.

  Therefore, the power supply voltage application unit 320 is provided between the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322 so that a predetermined power supply voltage can be applied to an accurate position of the substrate regardless of the size of the substrate to be loaded. And a movement guide 323 in which a movement path of the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322 adjusted by the control unit 360 is formed.

  In addition, the power supply voltage application unit 320 is coupled between the first electrode 321 and the movement guide 323 in order to easily adjust the movement and alignment of the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322, and is controlled by the control unit 360. The first electrode transfer unit 351 that moves the first electrode 321 by the first electrode 321, and the second electrode transfer unit that is coupled between the second electrode 322 and the movement guide 323 and moves the second electrode 322 under the control of the control unit 360. Part 352 may be further included.

  Here, the movement guide 323 includes a first movement guide 323a in which a movement path of the first electrode transfer unit 351 is formed and a second movement guide 323b in which a movement path of the second electrode transfer unit 352 is formed, respectively. Including. In order to prevent a collision between the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322, the first movement guide 323a and the second movement guide 323b are preferably separated by a predetermined distance.

  Further, the first movement guide 323a and the second movement guide 323b have a predetermined length in the same direction, and the first electrode 321 and the second movement guide 323b are moved by moving the first electrode 321 and the second electrode 322 in the same direction. The position of the two electrodes 322 can be adjusted more easily.

  The loading / unloading chamber 300 of the thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the first movement guide 323a and the first electrode transfer unit 351 and the second movement guide 323b and the second electrode transfer unit 352. In order to make the first and second movement guides 323a and 323b more rigidly coupled to each other, a guide hole 323c having a predetermined length in the Y direction is formed in the first movement guide 323a and the second movement guide 323b. A protrusion 351a corresponding to the guide hole 323c can also be formed.

  According to the thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the amorphous silicon deposited in the first multi-chamber is crystallized into polycrystalline silicon without using a separate process chamber or multi-chamber, and then the electrode By carrying it into the second multi-chamber for forming the process chamber, it is possible to reduce the number of process chambers as a whole, minimize characteristic deviation due to continuous environmental changes, and improve manufacturing process efficiency. Specifically, a first multi chamber including a plurality of first process chambers for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate and a second multi including a plurality of second process chambers for forming electrodes on the substrate. By using the loading / unloading chamber located between the chambers as a crystallization apparatus using Joule heat, the amorphous silicon deposited in the first multi-chamber can be increased without a separate multi-chamber or process chamber. After crystallizing into crystalline silicon, the entire number of process chambers can be reduced because it is transferred to the second multi-chamber for electrode formation.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 1st multi-chamber 110 1st process chamber 200 2nd multi-chamber 210 2nd process chamber 300 Loading / unloading chamber 310 Substrate holder 320 Power supply voltage application part

Claims (11)

A first multi-chamber for depositing amorphous silicon on a substrate;
A second multi-chamber for forming electrodes on the substrate;
A loading / unloading chamber located between the first multi-chamber and the second multi-chamber;
Including
The loading / unloading chamber saw including a power supply voltage applying unit for applying a power supply voltage to the substrate placed on the substrate holder and the substrate holder,
The power supply voltage application unit includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a power supply voltage source that applies power supply voltages having different polarities to the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode, and the second electrode. A thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control unit that adjusts a distance between the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor.   The substrate holder includes a substrate support on which a substrate is placed, a holder transfer unit that raises or lowers the substrate support, and a holder drive unit that controls the holder transfer unit. Item 2. The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to Item 1.   The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate support further includes a fixing unit that fixes the substrate.   4. The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fixing means is one or a plurality of vacuum holes connected to a vacuum pump.   5. The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising alignment means positioned on a side surface of the substrate support and aligning the substrates.   The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate support further includes one or more sensors for detecting the size of the substrate. The power supply voltage application unit includes a first electrode transfer unit that moves the first electrode, a second electrode transfer unit that moves the second electrode, and a movement of the first electrode transfer unit and the second electrode transfer unit. producing a thin film transistor device according to any one of 6 claim 1, characterized by further comprising a movement guide path is provided. The movement guide includes a first movement guide provided with a movement path of the first electrode transfer section and a second movement guide provided with a movement path of the second electrode transfer section,
8. The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first movement guide and the second movement guide are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. The first movement guide and the second movement guide include a guide hole formed in a longitudinal direction of the movement guide,
The first electrode transfer unit and the second electrode transfer unit, producing a thin film transistor device according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a protruding portion formed so as to correspond to the guide hall. It said second multi-chamber, producing a thin film transistor device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a process chamber for performing the sputtering process. The thin film transistor manufacturing apparatus includes:
From claim 1, further comprising a gate valve located between and between the loading / unloading chamber and the second multi-chamber of the first multi-chamber and the loading / unloading chamber 10 of the The thin-film transistor manufacturing apparatus of any one of Claims.

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